Replies

From: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46

Tests for Leprosy

[1] The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, [2] ”When a man has on the skin of his
body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on
the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his
sons the priests. [44] He is leprous man, he is unclean; the priest must pro-
nounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.

[45] ”The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of
his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’
[46] He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he
shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

13:1-14:57. These chapters contain the regulations to do with leprosy, its treat-
ment, and purification after contact with the disease. They cover leprosy in per-
sons (13:1-46; 14:1-32), in clothing and in accommodation (13:47-59; 14:33-53);
the cleansing of the poor is specially facilitated (14:21-32). The section ends by
looking at the different kinds of leprosy (14:54-57).

13:1-59. According to the state of knowledge at the time, there were various indi-
cations for this terrible disease. Although some of the data given here may be of
interest to historians of medicine, there was generally confusion between lepro-
sy and other skin diseases. However, the fact that people suffering from these
diseases are unsightly was sufficient reason to declare them unclean.

Because leprosy was an infectious disease, every effort had to be made to keep
it from spreading. It was widely held as being a punishment for some sin. Indeed,
in the case of Miriam, who was leprous for a while, we are told that she got the
disease because she had been murmuring against her brother Moses (cf. Num
12:1-10). Also, the suffering servant of Yahweh is portrayed as having leprosy,
an affliction God sent him on account of our sins (cf. Is 53:4). And Job, who had
something like leprosy, was accused by his Mends of having committed some
terrible, hidden sin: it was the only explanation they could think of for his sorry
state.

Life was very different for a person with leprosy. He had to live in settlements or
camps away from towns. When travelling about, he had to warn people he was
coming by shouting to show he was unclean; he wore his clothes torn and hair
uncombed: all this was meant to make him stand out, so that people could avoid
him easily. We often come across wretched lepers in the Gospels, on whom Je-
sus has compassion and whom he makes clean (cf. Mt 8:2-3; Lk 17:12-14): the
curing of lepers was one of the signs of the messianic times prophesied in the
Old Testament (Mt 11:5). And our Lord gives the apostles power to cure lepers
(cf. Mt 10:8).

The New Vulgate abbreviates the original Hebrew text, especially 13:52-53.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.